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May 26, 2023
2 min read

Our #Blockwatch Is (or Should Be) Ended

Michael Block's rough round at Colonial is nothing to be ashamed of, but it may be time to move on, for his sake and ours

Our #Blockwatch Is (or Should Be) Ended
Our #Blockwatch Is (or Should Be) Ended

Here are some things Michael Block did in the first round of the Charles Schwab Challenge:

Block, the 46-year-old head golf professional at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, is more skilled than he showed yesterday, but he’s not a PGA Tour-level talent. His exhilarating T-15 performance at last week’s PGA Championship was an anomaly, unlikely to be replicated on a big stage no matter how many sponsor invites he receives.

But dammit if he isn’t entertaining. Just look at that list again!

Like many watchable people, Blockie can grate. His post-shot antics often seem performative, and his self-confidence occasionally feels like self-regard. This isn’t a comment on who he actually is, just how he comes off—to me, at least.

The golf media, even the broader sports media, has worked overtime to convert Block’s everydude charisma into clicks, and he has welcomed the attention. On yesterday’s Charles Schwab Challenge telecast, announcer Smylie Kaufman said that Block had given no fewer than 30 interviews between PGA Sunday and Colonial Thursday. Thirty!

But after the ill-advised Ripper Magoo appearance on Wednesday and the 81 on Thursday, the online Block discourse turned ornery. Which is understandable, but too bad. There’s no need to hammer the guy. It would be far better, now that his golf has returned to earth, simply to move on.

Can we?

This piece originally appeared in The Fried Egg newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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About the author

Garrett Morrison

When I was 10 or 11 years old, my dad gave me a copy of The World Atlas of Golf. That kick-started my obsession with golf architecture. I read as many books about the subject as I could find, filled a couple of sketch books with plans for imaginary golf courses, and even joined the local junior golf league for a summer so I could get a crack at Alister MacKenzie's Valley Club of Montecito. I ended up pursuing other interests in high school and college, but in my early 30s I moved to Pebble Beach to teach English at a boarding school, and I fell back in love with golf. Soon I connected with Andy Johnson, founder of Fried Egg Golf. Andy offered me a job as Managing Editor in 2019. At the time, the two of us were the only full-time employees. The company has grown tremendously since then, and today I'm thrilled to serve as the Head of Architecture Content. I work with our talented team to produce videos, podcasts, and written work about golf courses and golf architecture.

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